Little Lightning DiNozzo

Third Grade

Harry had hit a small growth spurt during the summer between second and third grade making him as tall as his friend Baxter. Mudj was still taller than him but he was finally tall enough to upgrade from the car seat to a booster seat. He had turned 8 this year and would begin a new class in his magical studies. For his birthday his Daddy got him a cool new camo booster seat that matched the design of his papas backpack. He was almost a healthy weight now and with the help of soccer, karate and the occasional morning workout with his papa he had some natural muscle.

During the spring Gibbs had an inground pool installed into the backyard along with a fence surrounding it. He had Tony ward the area so that children couldn't get in at all without an adult present and touching the entry gate first. Harry knew how to swim but they were not taking any chances with him or any of his friends if they came over. The ward also stopped them being able to climb over for if the intent was to climb it they would suddenly remember something else they wanted to do.

Harry had taken to swimming from the age of 5 when they got him in some lessons. Tony had noticed that while he had a fear of water he did not know how to stay safe in it. Turns out that "baths" at the Dursley house were either him being hosed down in the backyard on full blast or Vernon holding him under the water in the bathtub until he couldn't breathe. They took almost a full year to get him feeling safe around water. He was able to settle during bath time if Tony came into the bath with him and there was barely enough water to cover him. They worked through the fear of spraying water later to teach him about showers. Gibbs was the one to teach him how to shower first because he wanted to show that Harry was safe around water with both his Daddy and his Papa.

Harry had a pool party for his birthday this year where all his friends came over as well as his Daddy's coworkers. Gibbs barbequed for everyone while the adults took turns watching the pool when the kids were there. This was also one of the first time that Harry's friends had seen some of his scars and while there were some questions among the parents, the kids ignored them for the most part, too young to really understand anything.

Harry's teacher this year Mr. Kevin Young was an energetic young man whose passion for teaching helped the class be a fun environment. The third graders had finished the introductory Latin lessons and could now take other languages if they chose, Harry chose Italian like his Daddy. He also started a class on potion ingredient prep and interactions. They would spend this year learning about what kind of ingredients there are, the different ways they can be used and prepared and how to safely use them. They would not do any actual physical handling of ingredients until next year at this point. They continued with small creatures lessons and herbology was combined with the potions class. The year-long project was for the students to create their own journal of potion ingredients. Harry chose to use his green journal for this lesson and made sure to have his Daddy help him label it and decorate the front so he would remember while one would be his potion/plant journal.

On the other hand this year was one of growth for Gibbs and Tony as well. They were now officially in a committed relationship. They were taking things slowly for the most part but had been becoming more intimate this year. Tony had officially changed his address on some of his files with the help of HR. He had set a meeting with Vance to tell him because while the man pretty much knew, from being involved in Harry's life so much, they needed to make it more official. He did still own his apartment however.

They began to go on dates while Harry was out with friends or with a babysitter. They began small by going out to eat or going to the marina nearby. Tony took Jethro to his favorite museum and small finds since he moved to DC. Jethro showed Tony around his favorite places in Virginia and Maryland. Tony decided to help him work on the boat occasionally. Harry even gets to help with sanding sometimes. They started a new tradition after Harry asked what Jethro did with all the wooden toys he makes. They began going to the local hospital, women's shelter and orphanage and handing out the yous. Each kid gets a little hand made toy that the family helps make. Jethro taught Tony the basics of making some toys and Harry got to help paint them.